another storm is coming -- at noon.

the idea that we would say this is terrible, this is a tragedy, never again, and we don't have the sustained attention span to be able to get this done over the next several months doesn't make sense. the president's new push to reduce gun violence in the aftermath of the connecticut school tragedy is one of the top stories. good afternoon. i'm tori campbell. we begin this noontime with a hazmat response at a local post office and some people require treatment. paul chambers joins us live from high street in oakland. paul, you just got the answer on what caused this hazmat

incident. paul? >> reporter: that's correct. it's been about two hours since everybody happened. there is a crew still out there. they are packing up right now. you ke see -- you can see from the chopper, within the last half-hour, the scene has been cleared. we a situation that had fire, paramedics, police on the scene evacuating the building. you can see a hazmat crew was sent out here to the scene and entered the building. the call came in around 10:00 a.m. after fire porkers say a -- workers say a worker found a puddle in the back of the floor. two workers complained of i irritation and coughing. crews worked to identify the mysterious substance while others were isolated. >> there was a small can of pepper spray that had discharged. after it discharges it becomes a liquid. >> reporter: now, two employees were treated and released here on the scene. there were customers inside. however, they were evacuated

and didn't come in contact with the pepper spray. now, postal official says the reason why it's inside is because letter carriers take it for dog repellent if needed. the crew is still here backing up. i was told that the inside of the post office is closed right now but it will be closed for only a half-hour. after that, everything will be up and running at the post office. we are weigh live in oakland -- we're live in oakland, paul chambers, ktvu channel 2 news. president obama is pushing ahead quickly with the gun violence. he calls the connecticut school massacre a wakeup call that needs to be addressed with urgency. >> the fact that this problem is comcan no longer be -- is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing. the fact that we can't prevent every act of violence doesn't

mean we can't -- >> he introduced a new interagency task force headed up by the vice president. that task force only has a few weeks to put that list together. the president also called on congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 to close the gun show loophole that allows gun sales without background checks. and he suggested the possibility of limits on high high-capacity -- on high- capacity risks. during a morning conference, nancy pelosi said now is the time for action and not words. she said it's particularly important to show children across the nation that somebody is being done to protect them. >> we must take action to protect our children from harm, preserve the safety of our

schools and keep our community safe. >> we must act. and whoever criticizes me or others for saying so, saying that we must act, whoever says this is not the right time, i say this -- when is the right time? >> california senator barbara boxer also introduced legislation today called the save our schools act. >> the bill would make funding available to deploy national guard troops at schools. it would allow state governors to determine whether the troops are needed and how they would be used at schools. today is the third day of funerals in a connecticut town that continues to mourn the tragic shooting. vicker to yosoto -- vicker to yosoto is being -- victoria soto is being buried today. family members are saying goodbye to five other innocent

lives including 7-year-old daniel barwin. he was a first grader on the swimming and soccer teams. there's new information about the gunman. there are reports his mother could longer handle him and he became upset after learning she was taking steps to have him committed to a psychiatric facility. the chief medical examiner said he's searching for any genetic clues that could help explain the shooter's behavior and the l.a. times reports that he stopped speaking to his father and brother in 2010. the bay area continues to show support for victims an families in the shooting. at this hour, the archbishop of the archdiocese of oakland is holding a mass. the service is open to the public. the cathedral is located on harrison street in oakland. last night in pleasanton there was a big -- big outpouring for a candlelight vigil. it was organized by students and parents at henry moore

elementary. the event also raised money for the victimsant their -- and their families. click on the newtown shooting tab on the ktvu.com page for more information. cold temperatures overnight prompted a freeze warning in parts of the bay area. many people woke up to frosty windshield, the warning was lifted around 7:30 but if was still 28 degrees at 8:00 a.m. those low temperatures could damage outdoor pipes if they are not covered an the plumbers say you -- and the plumbers say you can let them drip slowly to cope them from freezing. this man didn't seem to mind. >> i started my pickup earlier and let it thaw out. gotta go. away we went. >> in san francisco, the homeless took refuge at st.

mary's cathedral. there were a bunch of 20s coming in. i can do about three or four pages. some of the highlights that i saw, boulder creek, in. napa and sebastopol were 25. danville, 25. livermore, 27. palo alto, 29. i saw 29 around los at goes, 28 aroundwood side. there were a lot -- los gatos, 28 around woodside. there were a lot. 50 right now in san francisco. that seems like a heatwave. there's a lot of 40s. santa rosa were down to 47. now 46. napa, 46. concord, livermore, antioch, fairfield, a lot of these locations are still in the 40s. it will be a very, very cool day. we are running out of daylight here. today is clear, a few high clouds are starting to work

their way in the north. we're gonna from go from very cold and clear. it looks like friday through monday there will be rain and snow. it will be about four days worth. >> all right. thank you. thousands of people started lining up yesterday in the cold in san francisco to get free bags of groceries this morning to make a holiday meal. brian flores joins us live from glide memorial church to let us know how this annual tradition went. >> reporter: good afternoon. we have been here since about 5:00 a.m. take a look. the line has gone down considerably. from what we understand they've given away more than 5,000 bags. for the people who have been here, they didn't find the cold temperatures and it didn't stop them from getting a free and much-needed holiday meal. >> things are going really well. we changed the logistics a little bit to help with the traffic outside. things are running really smooth outside.

you know, we're continue usely making -- continuously making bags. >> reporter: more than 5,000 bags, in fact, for the thousands waiting outside. >> i mean this is a tremendous opportunity to be able to give back to the community, being able to help people out that are less fortunate. >> reporter: at the city's tenderloin district, thousands of homeless, elderly or those just down on their luck brave the cold temperatures and long hours waiting for traditional holiday meals. >> i've been inline for 5:00. this area, they field all of the time. this is the first time i've been here. you always see it on tv how they do this. now i'm in it. and i know how they do it. i'm grateful to be here. >> reporter: this is a tradition for glide memorial. this year they've packed 5500 bags full items like a turkey, bread, pasta or vegetables for those who need it. many of the items that we take for granted. not so for the many in line.

>> i'm gonna give it to my caur and grandkids -- my daughter and grandkids. >> reporter: how long were you out here? >> 5:00 a.m. >> reporter: well worth it? >> yes. >> reporter: oh, say what makes this year different is the amount of elderly in line. they say that number continues to grow as the event continues yearly. many whom they say are having a tough time paying their bills, let alone paying for a meal. >> we're seeing seniors using our services. it's actually doubling and tripling and more and more people who get on social security and disability as they reach their older years and they are really tight on money. >> reporter: organizers say they've given away most of the bags right now. you are taking a live look right now. these are people who have been waiting just a few minutes to get the last of the bags. organizers says they've given away more than 6,000 bags. they hope to give away more

next year. we're live in san francisco, brian flores, kut -- ktvu channel 2 news. interstate 5 is back open tonight. it was closed all night after more than 60 cars lost control on black ice near yreka. the accident scene stretched for more than a mile. crews had to close the area to get the vehicles out. >> reporter: can is are working hard to clean up the -- crews are working hard to clean up the mess after an overnight fire in oakland. we'll tell you how it is connected to a stolen vehicle and show you exclusive video. steve paulson is back in a few minutes to tell us when we should get our umbrellas out. two and a half minutes from now, more of this dramatic video as a mudslide hits the moving train. [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world

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there's some incredible video of a mudslide hitting a move being train in the pacific northwest, nothing it off the tracks. the freight cars were carrying 11 containers. nine were knocked over. no one was injured. the tracks will remain closed until tomorrow. in the south bay, police

and fire investigators are looking into a fire where they found a body early this morning. it started in a storage unit at an apartment complex in campbell on keenis drive. firefighters say found the body after they put out the flames, opened the door to the unit around 1:15 this morning. there were some bottles of alcohol among the debris. >> it's very sad that somebody would die like that. you know, that part is -- especially at the holidays. it's horrible. no matter what condition he was in. you know, it's -- it's very, very sad. >> relatives of a man who lives in the apartment complex say he believed the might be his son but the coroner's office says the body was badly burned. they say the body was is a male. a fire started around midnight on clara street.

as lorraine blanco report,s a quick response -- reports, a quick response kept the fire from spreading further. >> reporter: this is exclusive video you will see only on 2. >> billowing out into the residential area and it was pretty scary. >> reporter: fire investigators tell us the massive fire started in an abandoned truck. you can see the bright orange/yellow lights engulfing a nearby telephone and networking business. a security guard suffered smoke inhalation but he's expected to be okay. >> the smoke inhalation victim was a middle-aged male and the car fire that started the building on fire was -- a truck was stolen out of hayward on december 11th. >> reporter: the building owner in shock, would not comment on

camera. but he said he's seen a lot of suspicious behavior in the area. a cleanup crew boarded up the property late this morning, seeing the major damage and sunlight. neighbors say they are grateful for first responders. >> if it weren't for the open firefighters i don't believe that we would have made it out of this without any real casualties. >> reporter: we did notice security cameras in the area, one does point toward the area where the fire got started. the fire is under investigation. in oakland, lorraine blanco, ktvu channel 2 news. >> oakland fire investigators ask that if you know anything about this fire to give them a call on the tip line. the number you see on the screen. new at noon, the mayor of san francisco this morning announced new steps to keep pedestrians safer in what he calls one of the most walkable cities in the country. mayor ed lee spoke at the

powell street prommy ned about wider sidewalks for pedestrians. the mayor -- promenade about wider sidewalks for pedestrians. officials are nine amizing a strategy to reduce pedestrian injuries. >> we have to do more. we can't be satisfied with what we've done before because we have the data that shows us more and more where the hot spots are all over the city. >> san francisco has added more continental crosswalks with wide horizontal lines and more school crossing guards. president obama is threatening to veto a republican compromise plane aimed at avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff. he wants the increase to affect those making $400,000 and

above. john boehner, $1 million. facebook's ceo mark zuckerberg is giving his largest gift to charity so far. weiss donating a $-- he's donating $500 million in stock to the silicon valley community. this is his second donation giving since the group founded by warren buffett and bill gates. this morning, six nonprofit groups shared in $1 million worth of grant money from chevron. the recipients were announced less than two hours ago at the middle school. the grants go toward groups that provide jobs and education in the rifmond community. one -- richmond community. >> this is just one more indication of how much we

invest in this community. how much we believe in this community and we -- how we understand that when richmond succeeds, so does chevron. >> since the program started in 2009, chevron says more than 500,000 students and nearly 7,000 teachers have benefited. very cold morning. 20s all over the place. we had freeze warnings, frost advisories. we have clear skies. now a few high clouds beginning to come in. this is the beginning of what's gonna be a lot of clouds and rain and snow up in the mountains as we go from late thursday all the way into monday. between now and this time next week, the only dry day looks to be christmas day unless something changes and there is a hiccup in the forecast model. it will still be cold tomorrow morning. but with the additional clouds coming in, i think that will take the edge off the temperatures. turning cloudy tomorrow, we'll get a south wind in advance of the next system.

if you must travel and i know there are a lot of you that must, therrer why you go or latter -- the earlier you go or the later, it will be better. because there will be snow. livermore, 27. palo alto, 29. woodside, 29. skyline, la honda, 28. 40s still at this hour. you are hard-pressed to warm up. san francisco, redwood city, mountain view and san jose. those are low 50s. everyone else in the 40s. 29 in tahoe. they were 1. truckee was did boo low. redding 41. ukiah is 4. a lot of people head up the 5 and go up to redding an weaverville. there will be extremely low snow levels up there. just so you know, it could be really dicey on the snow levels, especially late thursday into friday. for the severe nevada, the levels will be slow and then

they will go up to 4,000, 4500 feet. there is a lot going on from vancouver, seattle to portland and then starting to move up into extreme northern california. this will be a series of very strong systems. in fact the low responsible for it is beginning to drop down. it will park it here and start to tend in three systems. the first one will be late thursday into late friday. probably a steady rain on saturday and then -- steady and then moderate to heavy rain on sunday. so with the rain and snow combinations -- these could change. this will be a five-day total. five-day total. north bay, 3 to 6 inches. there could be 7 to 9 the farther north you go. these conupdated forecast. higher clouds to the north. very cool -- these could be updated daily. higher clouds up to the north. i don't seep how you can get above -- see how you can get up

to 50, 51. rain starts in the north bay on thursday. for everyone on friday and then saturday and sunday look very wet. a lot of snow in the mountains. it will be tough traveling. just so people know, give them a heads up. >> thank you. >> any time. when we come back everything, the love story developing at a bay area zoo following a sad event that happened previously.

stocks dipping as talks

aimed at averting a fiscal cliff hit snore snag. general motors surging up over 6% after the government announced plans to shed its ownership stake in the company. the dow down, 57. the nasdaq down 3. s&p down 6. keepers at the oakland zoo say it looks like there's a new love connection. miko lost his mate of ten years last year. since her death, they say miko has not been his self. the zoo searched for a new mate and then a month ago, glad disarrived from a school from texas. she was given up by a private owner who could not care for her. the couple is doing well. president obama takes a bold step over the national debate over reducing gun violence. we told you what he said at the top of the hour, tonight at 5:00, the impact new regulations could have on who and who does not remain --

retain the right to bear arms. thank you for trusting ktvu channel 2 news.